In her classic Patternist series, multiple Hugo and Nebula award-winner Octavia E. Butler established the themes of identity and transformation tha...
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Mar 01, 2011
Angela
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I always judge a really satisfying book by the way that, when I am done reading it, I put it down on the table and let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
This edition is really four books, so it's hard to review collectively.
The first book, Wild Seed, is probably the best (and longest). It tells two intertwined stories: that of Doro, a spirit thousands of years old who inhabits the bodies of humans by using their bodies as a temporary vessel as he "feed More...
This edition is really four books, so it's hard to review collectively.
The first book, Wild Seed, is probably the best (and longest). It tells two intertwined stories: that of Doro, a spirit thousands of years old who inhabits the bodies of humans by using their bodies as a temporary vessel as he "feed More...
May 25, 2009
Korynn
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I had read two of the books separately but this omnibus makes it obvious that as a series the books are even stronger than as individuals. Linked, the narrative builds into a greater whole. Mind of My Mind directly continues the story of Wild Seed, focusing entirely on Doro finally reaping what he has sown with consequences for the entire world as well as himself. Patternmaster marries Clay's Ark with the world resulted from Mind of My Mind into a horrific future in which the mutated/evolved Cla
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Mar 25, 2009
Janet
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This is a collection of four novels which tell the story of two different tribes of altered humans. Butler is an excellent writer, but I probably would not have picked up the second book if the entire series had not been bound together. They are not exactly pleasant reading.
The stories focus on fascinating, sometimes tragic, and often unlikeable characters struggling to understand and come to terms with their dangerous gifts and survive in very bleak societies. In both cases, the cha More...
The stories focus on fascinating, sometimes tragic, and often unlikeable characters struggling to understand and come to terms with their dangerous gifts and survive in very bleak societies. In both cases, the cha More...
Jan 04, 2012
Stuart
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Seed to Harvest is actually four books in one, so it seemed like a good way to start reading the well-reviewed and recommended author Octavia Butler. The books were written individually some years apart and not in sequence, and to me they seemed like a mixed bag, even like a series of short stories rather than four separate novels. I shouldn't complain, though. I always object to books that don't have endings, only sequels, and here are four with actual endings, but linked togther. I enjoyed th
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Jul 16, 2008
Naima
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I just made my way through the four book, epic "Patternist" series, and I can't say that it is my favorite of all Octavia Butler's books. But she does always satisfy with an engaging story, plenty of dark racially charged subjects, and complex sexual/gender dynamics.
May 15, 2011
Kate
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Feb 28, 2009
Kris
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I miss Octavia Butler. There are so few writers out there with a voice that's anything like hers, and science fiction could definitely use some. This is a collection of four books from her Patternmaster series (presented in order of events rather than order of publication), which starts with an immortal trying to breed psychic humans so he can steal their bodies and follows the story all the way through to his descendants fighting an extraterrestrial virus that mutates their children. Pretty awe
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Aug 15, 2010
Hayley
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Feb 23, 2010
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Jun 14, 2011
Jeremy
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Each of these four stories is very different, and though loosely connected, they don't necessarily flow seamlessly from one to the next.
Perhaps this is because book four was actually written first, and the three prequels were extrapolated from that and written over the course of the subsequent years.
My favorite story, "Clay's Ark," was written last though it is the third book. I enjoyed this one the most because it stands apart from the first two books (which are much more c More...
Perhaps this is because book four was actually written first, and the three prequels were extrapolated from that and written over the course of the subsequent years.
My favorite story, "Clay's Ark," was written last though it is the third book. I enjoyed this one the most because it stands apart from the first two books (which are much more c More...
Jun 12, 2009
Sy
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so, as of yesterday, i have finally read all but one of her patternmaster series: survivor, which i could not find and is not included in this compilation. it was a quick read because i had previously read wild see and clay's ark before and skipped them. :-) i adore octavia butler's style and although i was disappointed with the ending (patternmaster book), i understood her underlying reasoning. i just thought there should have been more. *shrugs* still, it's hard to put down an octavia butler b
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Jul 13, 2010
Brittany
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You really shouldn't be allowed to read Patternmaster on its own, or in any way other than as the conclusion to this book. On its own, it's a pretty interesting story. In the context of Seed to Harvest it's the stunning conclusion to a carefully selected, deliberately reasoned set of circumstances.
Seed to Harvest begins with "Wild Seed." Now, I missed the first 25 pages of the story because they were ripped out of my copy, but I was able to reconstruct most of it. It's the More...
Seed to Harvest begins with "Wild Seed." Now, I missed the first 25 pages of the story because they were ripped out of my copy, but I was able to reconstruct most of it. It's the More...
Dec 31, 2009
Dionisia
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I have read several of Octavia Butler's books and count myself as a fan of her work. This particular series is not a favorite of mine but I was never bored. This omnibus contains four novels: Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark andPatternmaster.
Wild Seed begins in Africa during the time of the slave trade and introduces the seemingly immortal characters of Doro and Anyanwu. Doro has survived thousands of years by jumping bodies and has been carefully breeding humans to cultivate and st More...
Wild Seed begins in Africa during the time of the slave trade and introduces the seemingly immortal characters of Doro and Anyanwu. Doro has survived thousands of years by jumping bodies and has been carefully breeding humans to cultivate and st More...
May 07, 2010
Kim
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This is an omnibus of four of the five novels of the Patternist series, Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark and Patternmaster. For some reason unknown to me, the third book in the series, Survivor, is not included in this omnibus.
The first novel, Wild Seed, was by far my favorite. It is the story of Doro, a man with a special power that allows his spirit to jump from body to body, leaving the discarded bodies dead. He quickly discovers that it gives him more pleasure to occupy More...
The first novel, Wild Seed, was by far my favorite. It is the story of Doro, a man with a special power that allows his spirit to jump from body to body, leaving the discarded bodies dead. He quickly discovers that it gives him more pleasure to occupy More...
Oct 27, 2008
Jasmin
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seed to harvest collects octavia butler's patternist series (minus survivor, which she disowned according to wikipedia) into a single volume. i truly appreciate how ms. butler's stories are gathered and presented in this format. at a time when reality is continually painful, escaping into her storytelling became a refuge that allowed me to see the world we're in with clearer eyes and still asking more questions.
seed to harvest includes:
* wild seed - originally published in 1980 More...
seed to harvest includes:
* wild seed - originally published in 1980 More...
Nov 09, 2008
Aerin
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This volume contains the four books in Octavia E. Butler's Patternist series: Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay's Ark, and Patternmaster. Spanning centuries, from the 1600's to the distant future, these books tell the story of two warring groups: the telepathic Patternists, and the mutated alien Clayarks.
Having loved Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, I was looking forward to reading more of her work. However, I found reading these books an intensely unp More...
Having loved Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, I was looking forward to reading more of her work. However, I found reading these books an intensely unp More...
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Sep 26, 2008
Chris
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I really enjoyed this series. Maybe not as much as some of her other combined works but it was definitely a great read. I think part of the reason I didn't like it as much was that a few of the books (actually one in particular) had a pretty dismaying ending. The other part may have been that each book left me wanting more (which is a wonderful thing by the way). Still it was amazing to think about the evolution of new types of people and how their ways of life could pit them against each other
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Sep 16, 2010
Alex
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SEED TO HARVEST BY OCTAVIA E. BUTLER: Collected for the first time are all four of Octavia E. Butler’s Patternist novels: Wild Seed, Mind of My Mind, Clay’s Ark, and Patternmaster. Now you get to see this whole unique world from its beginnings hundreds of years ago to its conclusion hundreds and thousands of years in the future. Seed to Harvest will delight and terrify you in a way only Butler can.
Our main character and quasi hero is Doro, who is more like a god or perhaps a devil More...
Our main character and quasi hero is Doro, who is more like a god or perhaps a devil More...
Aug 22, 2007
Christy
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Wild Seed--The first part of this collection of four of Butler's novels turned out to be interesting, but not great. I liked the ideas she raised through the novel, but the development of the characters and the plot was somewhat lacking in the end.
I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series to see where she goes with the ideas set up in Wild Seed.
(There's a much more detailed summary and review at my personal blog, [http://cmt2779.livejournal.com/87 More...
I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series to see where she goes with the ideas set up in Wild Seed.
(There's a much more detailed summary and review at my personal blog, [http://cmt2779.livejournal.com/87 More...
Jan 28, 2011
Ann
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Well I love Octavia Butler and this kind of visionary sci fi, so that that into account with my evaluation. There are four short books in this collection all parts of the same story, about a breeding project to develop telepaths and other humans with special powers that is undertaken by a half human mutation over a number of centuries, and what finally happens when the project is successful. There is good character development and interesting plot twists.
Jan 03, 2011
Nina
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I am ashamed to say that this is the first book that I have read by Olivia Butler - though in fact it is actually four related novels which were published at different times (from 1976 to 1984) and not in the order in which they are collected in this book. I liked it, and will probably try and read some more of her SF/fantasy. Personally I did enjoy the first book best, Wild seed , maybe because of its description of Africa and despite what could be interpreted as an idealized view of slavery
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Feb 09, 2010
Aneel
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This is a collection of four novels, three of which focus on the emergence of psychic powers in humanity and the consequences thereof, and two of which deal with a struggle between humans and alien organisms. There's a thematic thread running through them all about the morality of survival and the value of life. I found them stronger on character than on plot.
Dec 23, 2010
Matt
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Wild Seed, the first book in the timeline, was the strongest, I felt. The later books were more depressing, in the world they depicted if not in the stories themselves, though I have to say I was disappointed in the fate of Doro. An enjoyable series overall, if only for the way Butler makes you empathize with a real live monster.
Jul 29, 2011
Martine
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I've finally finished all 4 books. Wildseed and Mind of my Mind, were and still are the best of the series, in that order- which is diefferent as you normally hope that the follow-up books are better as they're supposed to wrap up the story. Still love Octavia's stories overall.
Jan 10, 2011
Victoria
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Consisting of the four novels of the Patternmaster series, Wild Seed, Mind of my Mind, Clay's Ark, and Patternmaster, only the first novel was a first read. However, since three of the novels don't stand alone, I didn't place them in context, and fully appreciate, until now.
Aug 10, 2009
Teresa
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Clays Ark was hard to get through. The violence was over the top. I really appreciated the first two books, the struggles of the characters and it kept me really engaged. The 3rd book seemed disjointed and I didn't feel like Patternmaster reconnected Clay's Ark back to the first two well enough to be worth reading the violence of Clay's Ark. Would've been happier just reading the first two and stopping, but it sucked me in and I wanted to see how Clay's Ark reconnected. If you get nightmares def
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Feb 13, 2011
lynne
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My first Octavia Butler and I'm so sad I waited this long to read her work. As a series, there were some gaps and weak points; Clay Ark felt helicoptered in and out. But I couldn't put this book down. I got so completely absorbed in Butler's world.
Dec 21, 2010
Anne
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Octavia Butler is an incredible author and this series/book is no exception, incorporating fantasy/sci fi/magical realism, gender/race/environmentalism/technology, a look at our past, present, and dystopian future... fantastic.
Oct 24, 2009
wordLife
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I've finished Wild Seed (which I read before) and Mind of My Mind, both of which were great (preferred Wild Seed though!). Currently reading Clay's Ark, and I like how the story transitions between past and present.
Mar 18, 2009
Thelma
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I hated Doro. I felt no sympathy for him. When he got his just dessert I read that part over and over again. One of the chapters about the clayarks lost my interest but she tied it in okay at the end.
